His wife said he suffered a stroke at his New York home Saturday. She said, "He died at his storyboard."

The award-winning "B.C." comic strip, featuring prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs, launched in 1958 and eventually appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide. He was also co-creator of the "Wizard of Id" comic strip.

Later in his career, some of Hart's cartoons had religious themes, a reflection of his own Christian faith. That sometimes led to controversy.

A strip published on Easter Sunday in 2001 drew protests from Jewish groups and led several newspapers to drop the strip. The cartoon depicted a menorah transforming into a cross. Critics said it implied that Christianity supersedes Judaism.